BlackBerry PlayBook users?

Xcellenye · 31 Dec 2011 at 11:28

I really hope so but i have a feeling they might screw us over and release a new tablet and but os 2.0 on it and leave us playbook owners,
anyone here play Modern Comba 2 on playbook? there is no one online on Asphalt and only a few games ever available on N.O.V.A 2 so was thinking that if there is no one online on modern combat then no point getting it as its only the online i wanna play

chrismscotland · 31 Dec 2011 at 11:49

Xcellenye said:
I really hope so but i have a feeling they might screw us over and release a new tablet and but os 2.0 on it and leave us playbook owners,
anyone here play Modern Comba 2 on playbook? there is no one online on Asphalt and only a few games ever available on N.O.V.A 2 so was thinking that if there is no one online on modern combat then no point getting it as its only the online i wanna play

I don't think RIM are stupid enough not to release OS 2.0 for the current Playbook, I doubt we'll see any replacement for the Playbook until very late 2012 at the earliest, they need to get their phones out there first!

SB118 · 31 Dec 2011 at 14:41

Had another go at the tablet this morning (ordered mother an cheapo android tablet, dad is going to stick with this till somebody hack android to it).

Oooh, it's got a Gmail app <click>, playbook opens browser and goes to gmail.com, umm.

The hardware is great, cameras are sharp, screen is fantastic, but the actual software is shocking.

chrismscotland · 31 Dec 2011 at 15:32

SB118 said:
Had another go at the tablet this morning (ordered mother an cheapo android tablet, dad is going to stick with this till somebody hack android to it).

Oooh, it's got a Gmail app <click>, playbook opens browser and goes to gmail.com, umm.

The hardware is great, cameras are sharp, screen is fantastic, but the actual software is shocking.

There isnt a lot of app support yet no.

sharingan_sasuk · 31 Dec 2011 at 18:19

If anyone is looking to buy a Playbook, make sure it can be setup before you leave the store as I've experienced a few Error 2012s where the serial number is invalid and it won't activate/update the software, and we then had to return money back to the customer.

J1nxy · 31 Dec 2011 at 18:27

You can get a beta of OS 2 already and it's pretty good. It also has support for android apps.

nolimit · 1 Jan 2012 at 10:10

Got the micro hdmi to hdmi cable, it works really well. You just connect it to your tv, select hdmi as source and you see mirror of your playbook on your tv.

you can stream Vimeo / Youtube in HD and it looks very nice.

Richdog · 2 Jan 2012 at 19:06

Well, had a play with one in CPW today, and was very impressed. It's built like a rock, feels great to hold, and the display way excellent. Browsing was the best ive tried on a mobile device... pages rendered fully just like their PC counterparts, including flash sites that usually cause difficulties for mobile devices. text was very adjustable and scales excellently at all sizes I tried, maintaining a very readable page. It was also very smooth moving around. Youtube rendered perfectly, and the device played 1080p videos without any hiccups and looked fantastic. Sound quality was excellent at full volume, certianly the best ive heard from a tablet so far.

The overall software and feel of the device was very fluid, multitasking was flawless and transitions very smooth. The camera was also surprisingly good, both front and back, including movie mode, which was a nice surprise.

The 32GB for 199 quid looks a far better purchase than the 16GB at 169 quid, especially iven the lack of SD expansion slot. I can sell it for no loss if I dont like it, do very tempted to pick one up now!

Lack of apps may be an issue, yes, but all i need is a clear sign that a full ICS port will be here in the next couple of months... anyone seen any definitive info?

chrismscotland · 2 Jan 2012 at 20:19

Richdog said:
Well, had a play with one in CPW today, and was very impressed. It's built like a rock, feels great to hold, and the display way excellent. Browsing was the best ive tried on a mobile device... pages rendered fully just like their PC counterparts, including flash sites that usually cause difficulties for mobile devices. text was very adjustable and scales excellently at all sizes I tried, maintaining a very readable page. It was also very smooth moving around. Youtube rendered perfectly, and the device played 1080p videos without any hiccups and looked fantastic. Sound quality was excellent at full volume, certianly the best ive heard from a tablet so far.

The overall software and feel of the device was very fluid, multitasking was flawless and transitions very smooth. The camera was also surprisingly good, both front and back, including movie mode, which was a nice surprise.

The 32GB for 199 quid looks a far better purchase than the 16GB at 169 quid, especially iven the lack of SD expansion slot. I can sell it for no loss if I dont like it, do very tempted to pick one up now!

Lack of apps may be an issue, yes, but all i need is a clear sign that a full ICS port will be here in the next couple of months... anyone seen any definitive info?

It seems highly unlikely there will ever be a full Android replacement of the Playbook OS, unlike Android phones/tablets the bootloader is seriously locked down.

Richdog · 2 Jan 2012 at 21:52

chrismscotland said:
It seems highly unlikely there will ever be a full Android replacement of the Playbook OS, unlike Android phones/tablets the bootloader is seriously locked down.

Ahhh bummer... in that case the question is would I be happy with a device with that kind of limitation... such a shame as the hardware is ace, arrgh!

kona786 · 2 Jan 2012 at 22:25

part of me wants a 7"-tab as its more portable and dinky - bit sometimes I would want the screen to be bigger and a 10er would be nicer - decisions!

I hope when I get a new 720p 4.5" screened phone soon it'll be a bit more clearer what I want.

J1nxy · 2 Jan 2012 at 22:51

Richdog said:
Ahhh bummer... in that case the question is would I be happy with a device with that kind of limitation... such a shame as the hardware is ace, arrgh!

the conversion of Android apps to playbook has been going on for a while. Have a search for the Android BAR files theres a few 100 already done.

chrismscotland · 2 Jan 2012 at 23:13

Richdog said:
Ahhh bummer... in that case the question is would I be happy with a device with that kind of limitation... such a shame as the hardware is ace, arrgh!

The only glimmer I suppose is that the Android Player thats included in OS 2.0 currently runs Gingerbread (2.3) but its going to be upgraded to Android 4.0 (eventually)

Richdog · 3 Jan 2012 at 22:28

Well, after careful deliberation I went out and bought the 32GB version, I simply couldn't pass up the chance of such a quality tablet for so cheap... it was £199 - Tax = ~£170. Having a complete mare getting my WiFi working in my hotel room so can't update the device, so it wont let me use it (sob), but I can't wait to get it up and running. Looking forward to OS 2.0 too... definitely a sound investment imo. Will report back when I get it up and running.

EDIT - Awesome, didn't realise the Playbook had bonafide GPS too!

J1nxy · 3 Jan 2012 at 22:40

The beta is worth getting of OS 2 once you've got online and running. Whats the issue with WIFI as I had a problem with mine where it wouldn't see any WIFI networks at all so had to return it.

Richdog · 3 Jan 2012 at 23:03

J1nxy said:
The beta is worth getting of OS 2 once you've got online and running. Whats the issue with WIFI as I had a problem with mine where it wouldn't see any WIFI networks at all so had to return it.

Turns out admins locked WiFi sharing down on my laptop via Group Policy on a Domain level, and the hotel room only has a cable connection.

J1nxy · 3 Jan 2012 at 23:09

Richdog said:
Turns out admins locked WiFi sharing down on my laptop via Group Policy on a Domain level, and the hotel room only has a cable connection.

Bugger as blackberry in their infinite wisdom decided you need to connect to the internet to even get the stupid thing working...inspired

The Asgard · 4 Jan 2012 at 00:10

Looks like RIM will be doing some price cuts in the UK. Sub £200 for the 64GB, yes please.

Infact £210 for the 64GB available now.

Richdog · 4 Jan 2012 at 07:12

The Asgard said:
Looks like RIM will be doing some price cuts in the UK. Sub £200 for the 64GB, yes please.

Infact £210 for the 64GB available now.

I just Googled the place that has them for 210... they are a semi-scam site. By that I mean they ship small stuff with no issue, but larger expensive stuff thy claim no stock and take their sweet time issuin a refund only after a zillion mails. They did the same with the Galaxy Tab 7.7 after claiming to have it.

chrismscotland · 4 Jan 2012 at 09:11

The Asgard said:
Looks like RIM will be doing some price cuts in the UK. Sub £200 for the 64GB, yes please.

Infact £210 for the 64GB available now.

To be honest the current prices are a "price cut" we look across the Pond at their pricing but forget that ours included VAT on top, where they have to add Sales Tax.

I certainly can't see the 16/32GB models getting any cheaper and I'd be surprised to see the 64GB much lower.

From what I've been reading on some of the tech sites I suspect the Playbook and Bold 9900 will be my last Blackberry products, rumours that they plan to appoint a new Chairperson; with the intent to sell or breakup the company.